Agitator



Patented joa. 13,.y 1931 l STAT-.ES PATENT .orpi-cs f.,

.sai/rutina. GIBSON, oFfLAxEWoon, 01110, Assiette-nro @ANN-.E3{MANUFACTUR- :me eoMnANY, for cL-nvnnmvn, onin,a.conrclife'riiclv [er01,131.0

Asmara?. l

i Application" inea Aagiist 15,1929. serial No. ,$56,198.

This invention relates'to agitating devices,

and more particularly'to agitatorsof the collapsible Sty-pe, such as`areused in containers for mixing or stirring the contents.

Anl object of this an improvedform of agitator which can be manufacturedat very low cost.

Another object of this invention is to provide an agita-tor of thecollapsible type in which means is provided for maintaining the agitatorpaddle .in position for most efficient operatlon.

Other objects and advantages of this inventionA will be apparent fromthe following 15 description taken in connection with the accompanying'drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a'side elevational view, partly in section, showing theagitator of my invention in operative position within a container;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the manner in which myagitator is inserted into a container;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. l;

Fig. f1 is anelevational view, partly in section, showing the sleeveused in the container opening; and

Fig. is a showing another 30 agitator.

Referring-now to the drawings in detail, in Fig. 1' I show a containerv10 in which the agitating device of my invention has been mounted. Thecontainer 10 is shown, in this fragmentary elevational view manner ofsupporting the instance, as a bilge barrel, but the form of container inwhich my agitator is adapted to be used-iis not an essential feature ofthe invention., Such containers are invariably prof vided with athreaded opening 11 at the cen- 40 ter of one of their end walls orheads, and it. lis through this opening that my agitator isv insertedand operated.

y The agitator, as shown. in the drawings,

comprises a shaft 12 which, in this'instance, V415 1s squareincross-'sectional shape, a paddle 13 connected to theshaft adjacent oneend thereof, and a sleeve shaft and paddle in position yfor efficientoperation. For connecting thel paddle to the shaft, I provide the socketmember 14 which invention is to provide 'ing the agitator shaft.l Thissleeve'is lpro-l vided withl a4 recess '20 in :its upper end yinto rtthes'quareagitator'shaft when-the shank is inserted in'the' recess ofthelsleeve 19. The

-vlie along the shaft .12 nan inoperative posilth'eaddle 13 strikes'theff'bttomwfll of l the container, the paddle -rotates about rits.Apivot for maintaining theV receives oneend ofthe yShafft12a-ndlissecured thereto bymeansof'the pin 15. "The'lower endy of 'the'A'socket member is shaped to pro- `vide a Ei at',offset yportion 16 -towhich :the

paddle lis secured by -fme'ans o'f yfthe fp'ivotypin ,55

1'7. The paddle blades 15" are inclined or twistedy so that, Iin form,thepaddle resembles ascrewf'propeller. In mounting the ypaddle ontheysocket member,fthepivot1pin 17 ismadeftoipassthroughithe center ofthepaddle .0 soith.atalthough the paddle-i-srotatableupon thisl pivot pin,'it will always/*be .in abalanced condi-tiem that is to say,`;in stable?equilibrium. j IFor supporting the paddle and maintaining the l same inposition vfor efficient oper-ation, I providean elongatedibushing orsleeve 19 Vwhich is screwed into the'threailed lopenn ing' 11 with-theelongated p ortion '19 extending intothecontainerandlocsly'surroundwhichLthe--square agitator shaftzextends. "The bottomof "this v@recess forms shoulder `'21 Iv,upon which lthefpaddie *andshaft=are @suspended-by'means'ofthevvasher' and the pin 2F15 ifeaagitator shaft and pad'd'le. n provided lwith a handle '125 and a 'shankQ6- crank 24 isprovided forrturning ythe y rhis vcrank is having`vasocket QWhichV receives the end f of sleeve l19 serves as -a 'bearingfor-the agitator `sh a"ft', ipreventing wobblin'g of the-paddle 13,

and maintaining the agitator in Jprosper alignment .withthe axis of 'the:container lregaril- J- less the ,position in vwhich ithe container maybe.;v j 'To insert't'hefagitator into the-container,the.pa'dtlle`131srotatedupon'itslpivotqiinftoV no tion, asl .shown in:FigA 2. j Witlrthepaddlein this inoperative position, the agitator isin-H sertedtbroujgh the opening 11r4 andlowered into the 'con-tainer.V-'hen the 'loweren'd -of pin from the inoperative position, and =as vsumes' the operativejposition-shownun Fig. 1,

. bodimentof my invention, l

er, the sleeve 19 is slipped onto the shaft, after which the washer 22is placed on the shaft' and the pin 23 is driven through the shaft.After the paddle has been lowered into position in the container, thesleeve is screwed into place in the threaded opening' l1, thus holdingthe paddle in suspended posit-ion just above the bottom wall of thecontainer.

lf desired, the agitator may be supported upon the bottom wall of thecontainer rather than suspended from the top wall as shown in Fig. l.rl`his arrangement is illustrated in Fig. 5, which shows thesoclet'member 14 provided with an extending tip 2S which is received inthe recess of the bearing plug screwed into the bottom wall of thecon`tainer. ln 4this arrangement, the washer 22 and pin 23 which are used inthe suspended form are omitted, and the loose connection between theagitator shaft and the sleeve per` mits longitudinal vmovenfient of theshaft, so that the agitator will always assume a posi tion with the tip28 in contact with the bot-- tom wall of the container, there-by alwayspositioning the paddle close to the bottom surface of the container,where it will effectively stir up deposited sediment. With thisarrangement, bulging of the end Walls or heads of the container does notmaterially affect the alignment or positioning of the paddle forefficient operation.

The upper end of the shaft, which extends inte the sleeve, preferablyterminates below the threaded part 30 of the recess 20 so that a. plug3l may be screwed into the sleeve to form a. closure for the containerwhen the crank 24- is removed and the agitator is not being used, thuspermittingthe agitator to be retained in the container during shipment.

U pon rotation ofthe shaft and the paddle 13 by means of the crank 24e,the propeller shape of the paddle causes a positive movement of thevcontents of the container which insures a thorough mixing andlrneading.

lt will now be apparent that l have provided a very simple form ofagitator which -canbe quickly and easily inserted in folded form throughthe opening of a container, and unfolded within the container by contactofthe agitator with the wall of the container. The agitator of myinvention can be manufactured at low cost, and can be installed in a.container without the need of special-tools or exercise of unusualskill.

vWhile l have disclosed the preferred emdo not intend to limit myself tothe exact details shown and described, but regard my invention asincluding such `niodifications and changes as come `within the scope ofthe appended claim.

Alrlaving thus described my'invention, I claim:

In an agitator of the type to be inserted through axcontainer opening,the combina.- tion lof a shaft, a paddle having a central portion withblades extending laterally therefrom in opposite directions, a singlemeans for maintaining said shaft in alignment with the axis of saidcontain-er comprising an elongated sleeve extending into the containeraround said shaft and having one end thereof secured in said opening.and means connecting said shaft and said paddle whereby the latter ismovable from a position substantially parallel to said shaft to aposition at substantially right angles to said shaft, said connectingmeans comprising a member having a socket portion adapted to receive thelower end of said shaft and an integral flattened portion to which thecentral. portion of said paddle is pivoted.

ln testimony whereof, l hereunto affix my signature. g

SAMUEL lvl. GIBSON.

